Sifting through countless of stocks in the Banks industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Banc of California, Inc. or First Bancorp because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Banc of California, Inc. and First Bancorp compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Banc of California, Inc. and First Bancorp

Banc of California, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Banc of California that provides banking and treasury management services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, demand, and retirement accounts, as well as time deposits, certificates of deposit, and safe deposit boxes. It also provides real estate loans, such as commercial real estate mortgage, multi-family, other residential real estate mortgage, and real estate construction and land loans; commercial loans and leases comprising lender finance, equipment finance, other asset-based, venture capital, secured business, warehouse, and other lending loans; and consumer loans. In addition, the company offers electronic payment services for commercial clients, such as merchant acquiring and card issuing services; automated bill payments, cash and treasury management, master demand accounts, foreign exchange, interest rate swaps, card payment services, remote and mobile deposit capture, automated clearing house origination, wire transfer, and direct deposit; and investment management services. It serves small and middle-market businesses, venture capital and private equity firms, non-profit organizations, business owners, entrepreneurs, professionals, and high-net worth individuals. The company offers its products and services through branches located throughout California; Denver, Colorado; and Durham, North Carolina, as well as through regional offices in the United States. Banc of California, Inc. was founded in 1941 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

First Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for First Bank that provides banking products and services for individuals and businesses. The company accepts deposit products, such as checking, savings, and money market accounts; and time deposits, including certificate of deposits and individual retirement accounts. It also offers commercial business loans, commercial and residential real estate construction and mortgage loans, revolving lines of credit, and letters of credit, as well as loans for personal uses, home improvement, and automobiles; and accounts receivable financing and factoring, inventory financing, and purchase order financing services. In addition, the company provides credit and debit cards, safe deposit box rental services, and electronic funds transfer services consisting of wire transfers; and internet and mobile banking, mobile check deposit, cash management, bank-by-phone services, and remote deposit capture services. Further, it offers investment and insurance products, such as mutual funds, annuities, long-term care insurance, life insurance, and company retirement plans; property and casualty insurance products; and financial planning services. The company was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina.

Latest Banks and Banc of California, Inc., First Bancorp Stock News

As of July 31, 2026, Banc of California, Inc. had a $3.0 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $716.9 million. Banc of California, Inc.’s stock is down 0.7% in 2026, down 10% in the previous five trading days and up 28.96% in the past year.

Currently, Banc of California, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 15.4. Banc of California, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.1 billion with a -3.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 7.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.688 per share for the current fiscal year. Banc of California, Inc. currently has a 2.5% dividend yield.

As of July 31, 2026, First Bancorp had a $2.6 billion market cap, putting it in the 57th percentile of all stocks. First Bancorp’s stock is up 23.8% in 2026, up 0.2% in the previous five trading days and up 23.32% in the past year.

Currently, First Bancorp’s price-earnings ratio is 21.5. First Bancorp’s trailing 12-month revenue is $393.3 million with a 32.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 13.8%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.696 per share for the current fiscal year. First Bancorp currently has a 1.5% dividend yield.

How We Compare Banc of California, Inc. and First Bancorp Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Banc of California, Inc. and First Bancorp’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Banc of California, Inc. and First Bancorp Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Banc of California, Inc.	BANC	B
First Bancorp	FBNC	C

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Banc of California, Inc. has a Value Score of 77, which is Value. First Bancorp has a Value Score of 45, which is Average.

The Value Stock Winner: Banc of California, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Value Grade breakdown above, Banc of California, Inc. is considered to have better value than First Bancorp. For investors who focus solely on a company’s valuation, Banc of California, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Banc of California, Inc. and First Bancorp’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Banc of California, Inc.	BANC	B
First Bancorp	FBNC	B

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Banc of California, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 62, which is Strong. First Bancorp has a Momentum Score of 63, which is Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Momentum Grade breakdown above, both Banc of California, Inc. and First Bancorp have a grade of B. For those who focus solely on a company’s momentum, further research will need to be conducted into both companies to see if they fit your individual needs as an investor.

Banc of California, Inc. and First Bancorp’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Banc of California, Inc.	BANC	C
First Bancorp	FBNC	B

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Banc of California, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 43, which is Neutral. First Bancorp has a Earnings Estimate Score of 68, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: First Bancorp

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, First Bancorp has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Banc of California, Inc.. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, First Bancorp could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Banc of California, Inc. and First Bancorp Grades

In addition to Estimate Revisions, Value and Momentum, A+ Investor also provides grades for Growth and Quality.

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Banc of California, Inc. and First Bancorp pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Banc of California, Inc. or First Bancorp Stock?

Overall, Banc of California, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 77, Momentum Score of 62 and Estimate Revisions Score of 43.

First Bancorp stock has a Value Score of 45, Momentum Score of 63 and Estimate Revisions Score of 68.

Comparing Banc of California, Inc. and First Bancorp’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.